Mallory Separation
by Majestic-MSFC
Summary: What really happened to Quinn and Colin Mallory on the fateful day that Doctor Oberon Geiger interfered with their inter-dimensional sliding tunnel separating the group?


**Sliders: The Mallory Separation **

Disclaimer: This above story is intended for entertainment purpose only. Some characters, elements of the story and the Sliders rights belong to St Claire Entertainment/Sci-Fi Channel and are used without authorization. No copyright infringement is intended and no profit or money is made from this story. This story may not be re-hosted on any site other without the direct permission from the author.

If you wish to read more of my stories or want to view the cover titles I have made for these stories or are just interested in Science Fiction and Sliders please visit my site that can be found in my profle.

Foreword: Well here is my first published story outside my own site. I have been working on and off on this story for the past few weeks and believe that I am happy with it to post to a wider audience.

Now a word of warning, this deals a lot with the Quinn and Wade relationship. So if you are one that doesn't like that sort of thing then I encourage you to turn away. For those of you who enjoy it, as I myself, or don't mind either way do please offer some feedback as I have well over two dozen stories spread over several serials in the works and it will help encourage me to get off my butt and complete and post them.

About this story, it's a season 5 starter, when Colin and Quinn survive the wormhole accident. Colin doesn't become unstuck and Quinn doesn't get merged with the Mallory. I tried to work in with that and I found it difficult so just believe Quinn's memories were copied and downloaded into Mallory and leave it at that. It takes place during the first two episodes of season 5.

Well enough of my dribble. Enjoy the story.

* * *

**_Prologue_**

Wade Welles sat in her cell. It was almost Christmas, Christmas in a Kromagg cell. Christmas was a time for miracles, something she didn't really believe in anymore. It was hard to believe in such things sitting in here, but if there ever was a time for one now would be the time for it she thought.

"Quinn, why'd you leave me, why'd you stay with her?" Wade sobbed. It had been close to a year since she was captured by the Kromaggs and taken off her homeworld, the world she'd had been searching for, for over three years.

She starred at the cell she was in, only a small barred window allowed her to see the world she was on. Grassy hills it was not, a destroyed city so much like what her homeworld was like now. It was nice and sunny, the complete opposite to how she felt.

"Quinn why'd you leave me, god I hate you for leaving me." She hissed quietly to herself as she rocked back and forth on her cot, knees to her chin starring out the small window withdrawn into her thoughts.

Quinn awoke in a sweat. "Wade." He cried out only to draw the attention of Maggie and Colin.

Maggie was not all that shocked. She and Quinn had decided not to pursue a relationship despite her own desires. After bubble world he had changed, became withdrawn from her. She had her suspicions but this was the first true sign that she was right.

"Brother its okay." Colin said as he sat down beside him reassuring him.

Quinn was in a daze looking around. Maggie could tell he was looking for Wade, call it a woman instinct but she knew what was going on.

Quinn rubbed his hands through his hair. "Wade." He sighed softly emotionally disturbed by the dream. He could clearly see Wade in a Kromagg cell sobbing and voicing how much she blamed him for everything. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't reach her and she couldn't hear him.

Colin put his hand on his brother's shoulder. "Another nightmare?" He asked. He like the others were well aware about Quinn's nightmares, he had woken them all on numerous occasions on numerous worlds unintentionally due to a bad dream.

The usual tossing and turning and waking up in a sweat was now a common thing for Quinn, but this had been the first time in a long time that he had a dream about Wade, one that he could remember that was so real anyway.

Quinn looked up at his brother and nodded. "I'll be fine, how long till the slide?" He asked ignoring Maggie's glares. He knew she wasn't happy, after he said he didn't want to pursue a relationship with her things have been tense and awkward between the two of them. But ever since bubble world and false Kromagg Prime Quinn didn't feel a relationship with her was right. He knew starting one with Maggie meant he was giving up on Wade, something he just couldn't do. Ever since she was taken, he had been haunted by that romantic interlude on the world with the asteroid back several years ago. He still felt num whenever he thought about her but lately especially tonight he felt long hidden feelings for her stirring. What he couldn't figure out was why now?

A ringing of gun fire drew his attention breaking him out of his thoughts.

"Great, they found us." Maggie bellowed as she cocked her gun preparing for a fight.

Rembrandt shot up now wide awake, startled by all the noise. "Girl, what is up with all the screaming?" He groaned rubbing his eyes.

"Remmy, grab the timer." She ordered. "Everyone that way." She yelled pointing to another old abandon building.

Another round of gunfire got them moving.

---

Quinn and Colin continued firing as Rembrandt and Maggie headed deeper into the old city. It was just the group's luck to find a gang that had a blood hatred with Quinn's double. After everything that had happened in the last year Quinn thought they were due for a break.

Both men laid down cover fire as their two companions darted for higher ground. "Go." Quinn yelled to Maggie. She didn't like walking, or in this case running from a fight but she knew when Quinn gave an order it was best to follow it. A lack of a formal command structure really got to her at times, but she knew deep down that if there was to be a single leader in the group, Quinn was it. After all, he and Rembrandt had the most experience with sliding and Quinn knew more about the timer than the other three put together multiplied by ten.

Maggie Beckett ran up the stairs with pistol in hand and was just missed by a spray of bullets aimed at her.

Quinn noting she was clear refocused on the current situation returning fire with his rifle. He still couldn't shake the dream, why after all this time was Wade and memories of her in this head again. He forced those feelings and thoughts aside focusing on finding his homeworld. He thought that getting to the weapon first he might be able to find Wade quicker.

"Q-Ball! Colin! We slide in 30 seconds." Rembrandt yelled out.

Quinn snapped back again to what he was doing. "Concentrate Quinn." He muttered to himself firing again at their pursuers.

Bullets hit the rock ledge where Maggie and Rembrandt were taking cover.

"This is getting personal." Maggie snorted and attempted to return fire to only hear a click from her pistol. "I'm out." She grumbled throwing the gun away.

Rembrandt took another look at the timer in his hand. "Quinn… Colin… Let's shake it." Rembrandt ordered yelling over the sound of gunfire. He lowered the timer and immediately activated the vortex.

Both Rembrandt and Maggie looked over to see Quinn and Colin approaching still laying down cover fire.

"Here they come. Let's go!" Maggie announced.

Rembrandt looked down to the Mallory brothers, then over at Maggie and nodded. The two sliders both run into the vortex disappearing in a flash.

Moments later, Quinn and Colin dropped their weapons and made a dash into the vortex, disappearing into the swirling blue whirlpool on their way to a new dimension.

The ride through the vortex was normal, Colin smiled as he and his brother followed the twists and turns to the next dimension. He loved being in the vortex, in a funny way it felt like he was flying, something he did a bit of back home with his hang-glider though this was much faster and in a way safer.

"Glad we're outta there." Quinn said as he flew along beside his brother. Colin nodded in agreement.

Then it hit them, a blinding white flash. It appeared out of nowhere engulfed the two brothers and then it all went dark.

---

Kendra looked around at her surroundings, the resistance wasn't much to look at but it was all that was left of her world. Thanks to the Kromaggs, the last remains of mankind were either prisoners in their complex a few miles away or were held up in here trying to seek out a meaner existence. She threw her hand down and slammed the desk hard, everyday there were reports of more and more Kromagg troops and everyday they were getting closer to discovering the resistance hideout. She knew it was only a matter of time before they were discovered and crushed.

"Damn Maggs!" She yelled in anger as she looked out the tiny window overlooking the small resistance hideout. It wasn't much, an old underground complex that used to be used for irrigation or something. But now it was home, the only home any of them had. She heard a tap on her door. "Enter." She sighed as she turned to face the now opening door.

She looked at the man before her, like everyone else he was tired, tired of how they were forced to live and what the Kromaggs had done to their world and way of life. "We have detected another vortex." Michael announced in this thick southern accent.

Everyone knew that the Kromaggs used some short of vortex to arrive from whatever planet they came from, luckily Michael the resistance's only tech had found a way to track where they arrived which helped levelling the playing field a little. There had been an increase in vortex activity in the last three months so it was nothing new to report.

Kendra frowned. "So they are bringing in more troops and equipment again, the same as yesterday and the day before and the month before that." She responded with a sigh looking him straight in the eye. "Michael, this really isn't anything new."

"Well actually it is." He replied with a grin that lit his face up. "This vortex isn't the same as the one the Maggs have been using." He explained. "It has a completely different signature, power level and an assortment of other properties that I won't bore you with."

This caught Kendra's attention. "You're telling me, that it may be possible, however unlikely that this new arrival isn't Kromagg?"

Michael nodded. "I am, and we have tracked it to 2 miles east of here." He answered.

"Well, get a team together and go check it out." She ordered. "Have' em heavily armed and if you find anyone, human, Kromagg or something else, alert me at once."

Michael nodded and left, closing the door with a light thud.

Kendra smiled. Perhaps this was the break they were looking for. If there was indeed someone else out there using simular technology to the Kromaggs perhaps they could help her in this fight.

---

Quinn groaned as he came around. His head was pounding as if he was just used as a bumper car and was bashed into the bumper wall one too many times.

"Brother are you alright?" Colin Mallory asked concerned for his brother. He was at Quinn's side helping him up.

"Um… Yeah I think so." Quinn stammered still feeling groggy. He took a moment to look around. They were in an alley, but there was no urban noise. Years ago he would've been worried about it, but in the last year the amount of worlds he discovered like this had made him grown used to it, sad as it was.

He could smell the sent of destruction, it was something he was getting more and more used to thanks to the Kromaggs. It wasn't long till he discovered his two other Sliding companions were missing. "Where are the others?" He asked.

Colin just shook his head. "I do not know." He answered truthfully.

Quinn smiled at his brother's honesty. Being separated during a slide, while not a regular thing, had happened on more than one occasion. Quinn could still remember the first occasion, on Hippie world as Rembrandt called it. He still like reminiscing about some of the earlier slides, those were the years he enjoyed until the Professor was killed. That was the start of the downward spiral where everything turned bad, but the worst of it all was when the Kromaggs took Wade.

There it was again, thought of Wade, why all of a sudden? He thought.

"What are we going to do?" Colin asked shaking Quinn about his memories, Quinn was kind of glad as his memories were just full of pain nowadays anyway.

Quinn looked up to his brother. "They can't be too far, perhaps we were separated during the slide, it happened once before during one of our first slides." He answered. "They must have landed somewhere else."

Colin helped his brother to his feet. "This is bad, Rembrandt had the timer too." He reminded his brother.

Quinn patted him on the back. "Come on let's look around, they can't be too far." He replied looking at Colin and seeing the worried look on his face. "Hey don't worry brother, this thing has happened before and we got out of it, we will again."

Colin nodded and smiled. "I do still have a bad feeling about this." He muttered.

Quinn smiled, how often had he heard that from Wade upon landing on a world. He shook his head regaining his composure. It was no time to be drawn into old memories. Quinn shared his brother's bad feeling but had to keep his brother's hopes up. He couldn't loose the others, they after all was all the family he had left along with Colin.

If they were lost it would be his fault, he was responsible for them especially Rembrandt who held a special place for him, he was the last of the original family of Sliders, the man had become like a brother to him and the only one he could talk to about many things. About one thing, one person in particular.

Just then Quinn felt a strange feeling and intense pain. It was unlike anything he had ever felt, like a part of him was being ripped out and he could do nothing. He fell to his knees in agony.

"Brother what's wrong?" Colin asked in concern kneeling down beside him as Quinn rolled around on the ground in agony.

Quinn didn't reply as the pain was unbearable. He was having flashbacks of his past, memories of his life, both before and during his time sliding. He couldn't help but draw on those memories for strength, memories of his time with the Professor, memories of his time with Wade and finally of Rembrandt, he couldn't afford to lose Rembrandt, he wouldn't allow it he would find a way to find him no matter what.

The pain eventually subsided and Quinn looked up.

"Are you alright? What happened?" Colin asked in a concerned low voice. The look on his face was one of fear and worry.

"I… I don't know. It might have something to do with how we got here." Quinn replied answering his brother's question and getting back to his feet with assistance from Colin. He knew they never completed the slide, at least not in the normal way and all in all he knew that they may had seen the last of their sliding comrades, the last thing he needed was something physically wrong with him.

"Let's get moving." Quinn stated wanting some answers and needed to find the others.

---

Michael took a look down the alley. It was clear, no immediate signs of life. He slowly walked in and took out his portable scanner and started the scan. He didn't like coming out of the base, especially at this difficult time where the Kromaggs were massing troops and war machines. He knew something big was up but didn't know what.

His scanner started to beep and he took notice of the readout. "They landed here." He voiced looking over his shoulder to the few men that had joined him. The reading were a few hours old so they could be pretty far away now. The men he were with all carried some form of weapon, armed ready for anything especially the Kromaggs. "You start your search here, remember we want them alive. If they resist knock them out and we will deal with them when we get back to base." Michael explained to the men.

"Right." A tall and solid built man said. Terry Davidson was Kendra's second in command. He was former military and had brought a lot of tactical thinking to the resistance. Unlike most military types, he found he had no problem now working for a civilian and he had great admiration for Michael, the man that had saved his life more than once and his keen knowledge in the sciences had increased the resistance's chances of survival quite a bit.

"You heard Michael. They are to be brought in alive, keep your heads down in case the Maggs are around… Move out." Ordered Davidson

"Terry I need to get these readings back to the lab." Michael explained.

Davidson nodded. "Perkins, Wilkins, escort Michael back to HQ." He instructed and turned to the remainder of the group. "The rest of you span out in teams of two, let's find whoever it is we are looking for." He ordered and the group of roughly 8 men started to spread out in various directions.

---

The Mallory brothers continued their searching but Quinn's thoughts where still mainly on Wade and Rembrandt, he kept going through the last few minutes of the slide. Only one thing could've caused what happened, someone in the dimension they were going to must've been tracking them and somehow interfered with their slide. If that was the case Rembrandt and Maggie may have completed the slide and if they did it meant he might never see them again.

"Some break." He huffed low enough so Colin didn't hear him.

Quinn continued to look round. It had been about an hour now and they had seen nobody. It was like they were all rounded up and taken away, from the looks of some of the buildings it was clear looting had taken place but there were very few signs of battle damage.

Quinn sighed. It was times like these that made him think back to Earth Prime, this place reminded him so much of his homeworld, well the world that he still thought of as home.

He had no idea about where his mother was, the one that raised him. He knew she was captured but where she was now he had no idea. What about his friends? Wing, Bennish, Montague? He had no idea what happened to them, even Wade's family he couldn't tell. Worst of all was Wade, his best friend taken to a, he couldn't even think it much less say it. She deserved so much better, it was now he wished they all stayed on one of the parallel worlds they had considered calling home years ago.

Quinn was waked from his thoughts when he heard a loud humming noise he immediately recognised. "Get down." He yelled to Colin throwing his brother and himself inside the front of a small building.

They both slowly peaked out the entrance to see a large flying machine pass.

"Kromaggs." Colin muttered.

"A manta, this world must be under Magg control." Quinn thought now knowing that his thoughts on Earth Prime were well founded, it was obvious now that this world had suffered the same fate.

Colin looked over to his brother. "This does not go well for us." He remarked.

Quinn laughed, he couldn't help it. It was just one of those times were no matter how bad it got laughing was the only alternative to breaking down. "Colin, things have not gone well for years… Let's keep moving, but stick to the buildings and keep an eye out for any Kromaggs."

The two brothers got up and started working their way again through the abandoned city. Several minutes later Quinn collapsed as the intense pain he felt earlier returned.

"Brother, it's happening again." Colin said stating the obvious.

Quinn remained silent. He had fallen unconscious.

Colin's heart was pumping. He had no idea what to do, it was now more than ever that he wished Rembrandt and Maggie were around. "Brother." He said again shaking him but got no response.

"Don't move."

Colin turned around to see two men holding weapons at them. For a moment Colin didn't know what to do, it was always one of the others that took charge at times like this. "I… we mean no harm." He stammered. "My brother he is hurt."

The armed man looked at the two men, pulled out a scanner and scanned them. "This one is clean." He said pointing at Colin. He then moved over to Quinn and scanned him. "This one isn't, he needs the KTD removed."

"He's a plant, let's shoot him now." The other man insisted raising his weapon.

"NO." Responded Davidson. He forcibly lowered his comrade's weapon. "The Commander wants them alive, both of them." He looked over to Colin. "Where did you come from?"

"A parallel world." He replied quickly before thinking.

Davidson raised an eyebrow. "Say again?" He replied. "What is this guy on?" He thought.

Colin looked up at his captors knowing very well they wouldn't believe him but had to try anyway. "We travel through a wormhole, a vortex. That's how we got here."

Davidson looked at his partner then back at Colin. "A vortex? What's your name son?" He asked.

Colin swallowed hard. "Colin and this is my brother Quinn."

Both men looked at each other, then back at Colin. "What's your last name boy?" Davidson asked. Brothers, he and Kendra a few months back discussed some Intel they got about two brothers. These boys looked the right age as well but for the life of him could only remember their last name.

"Mallory." Colin responded.

Davison knew that name, it was then. It had to be them. That was the name, the name he remembered.

"Why, what is wrong?" Colin asked noticing the surprised look on the face of the man who asked the question. Colin had a bad feeling about this.

Davidson put away the scanner and raised a radio. "Kendra, this is search group alpha 3, we have two men who appear to be connected to the vortex." He explained. "They're human and brothers."

"Brothers?" Kendra replied through the radio.

"Yes, ones got a KTD and in need of medical services… And Kendra, the one wake is claiming to be a Mallory."

"Bring them in immediately Terry." She replied eagerly.

Davidson knew that tone in her voice, one he hadn't heard in quite sometime, it was hope. "We're on our way." He responded.

---

Kendra couldn't believe it, the Mallory brothers. She knew about them, they were important to the Kromaggs. She didn't know why or how the Kromaggs could be interested in two humans but if they were important to the Kromaggs then they were important to her.

Michael walked in disrupting her from her thoughts. "You wanted to see me?" He inquired. "I guess you found the intruders behind the vortex since you recalled the search parties?" He added.

She turned to face him with a smile, ignoring his inquiries. "Michael, back a few months ago you hacked into the Kromagg files." She stated. "Can you do it again?"

He pondered for a bit then nodded.

"Good, I recall last time a file on two men, the Mallory brothers, Quinn and Colin Mallory." She said. "I want all information the Maggs have on them, any related files to them and anything else that may in anyway shape or form be connected to the men."

Michael just starred at her for a moment. "Kendra what is this about?" He asked then it slowly clicked. "Wait…" He said looking her dead in the eye. "These intruders you found, you know them don't you? These guys are the Mallory brothers aren't they?"

"Michael, get me the files, as quickly as you can." She snapped ignoring his comment.

Michael sighed. "Alright, you will have them as soon as I can break through the Magg's firewalls." He then left not happy at all about being left in the dark.

She turned back around to the monitor and smiled at the two young men on the screen. It was strange, they didn't look dangerous and they were both around her age and very handsome. She shook her head looking away. "Get a hold of yourself." She muttered. "We're in the middle of a war no time to find a date."

She turned her attention back to the screen. At last she was right, their luck had turned around. The Mallory brothers! Hunted by the Kromaggs, but why? She was going to find out and left the room.

---

Quinn opened his eyes, he found himself in a dark room. He looked up at the only source of light, it was shining down on him but he couldn't make out its origin.

"It's good to see you again Mr Mallory."

Quinn turned to the direction of the voice. He knew that voice, he hadn't heard that voice in a long time. But it was impossible that voice belonged to a man long dead, this must be a dream that or he is going crazy. He was shocked to see who was standing in front of him. "Pro… Professor?" He stammered.

The Professor smiled.

"But… but you're dead… I saw you die." Quinn said as his eyes watered slightly reliving that fateful day in his mind. The Professor was like a father to him, after he died everything went wrong. Maggie joined the group he pushed away the others then he lost Wade. He kicked himself every time for pushing her away and now she was gone.

"Indeed I am, being a man of science as I am, as I was this will be hard for you to accept but I have been given this chance at this point in time to contact you." He answered.

"Am I… am I dead?" Quinn asked

The Professor with his hands behind his back and answered. "No Mr Mallory, you are on the operation table, you're very much alive it is only at a point where ones life is in danger that a deceased one can actually communicate with the living." He explained. "Unless of course, one is in tune with their psychic abilities." He casually remarked.

Quinn just stood there, trying to take it all in.

"I know you have many questions, but like always time is against us." He explained. "I have come to tell you that right now, if you act you have a chance to save her."

Quinn continued to look at his old mentor. "Her?" He asked.

The Professor nodded. "You had a chip implanted that changed you, the operation you are currently enduring is being conducted to remove it, when you wake you will return to you're old self."

Quinn shook his head. "What are you going on about?" He asked in confusion with a bit of anger rolled up with it.

"Mr Mallory, please bare with me here." The Professor asked. "In the next 24 hours you have a chance to save her, the one you love, the one you have missed the most… I can not say anymore." He explained glancing up at the ceiling as if some great power was watching him.

"Great, damn riddles." Quinn barked. It seemed these day's riddles and mysteries that couldn't be solved was all the help he ever got for himself. Kind of served him right he thought, as after all he destroyed so many lives including those he held most dear to him.

The Professor smiled. "It will all become clear when you wake." He answered. "There two more things, first you must forgive yourself."

"I can't." Quinn replied knowing quite well what he was asking. Unless all the mistakes were corrected he knew he would be living with his guilt for the rest of his life, it was his one constant companion a friend that he could never lose. It comforted him in a strange sort of way.

"You must." The Professor sharply replied. "She can help you, together you can prosper. You must forgive yourself for sliding and my death. I gave my life for you my boy, I was dying but you still have many long years ahead for you."

He smiled at Quinn and continued. "You must also forgive yourself for her abduction. You are only human my boy, you can't be responsible for everything and everyone, everywhere."

Quinn sighed knowing who he meant. "But it was my fault, if I knew what the hell I was doing…" Why all of a sudden was everything about Wade?

The Professor interrupted. "Quinn sliding made a difference to all of us." He moved over and held Quinn's shoulders. "Look in the back of her diary, hidden in the back cover."

Quinn's eye's lit up. "But the only person I know too… She's no longer with me."

"I know." The Professor interrupted again. "You will find her, today, rescue her. Good luck my boy. One does not often get a second chance use it wisely."

The Professor disappeared and the room went dark.

---

Wade starred at the wall in her cell. She'd had almost gone insane sitting in here, actually she thought she'd already had.

For months now she was hearing voices, the Professor mainly but sometimes of her sister or parents and she had dreams about Rembrandt and some especially vivid dreams about Quinn. There were dreams where he actually didn't stay with Maggie and came home with her and told her he loved her. She had lived entire lives in her dreams, her only escape from the harsh reality she now lived in.

She looked through her journal, something that the Kromaggs surprising allowed her to keep. She was drawn into thoughts about her friends, all of them and often wondered where they were and if they were still alive. She also hoped they were looking for her, but her hope was fading fast with each passing day and was now at a point where freedom and hope were so far away she tried not to think about it.

Wade still couldn't shake her mixed feelings with Quinn. She still loved him but also hated him at the same time. He broke her heart staying with Maggie, that kiss haunted her to no end.

"I hate both of them." She hissed reliving that painful memory in her mind.

Maggie had taken the one thing that really mattered to her, she had dreams about kicking and beating her and wining Quinn's affections but it was all just a dream. She needed to start to face facts that Quinn loved Maggie and not her.

"Now Miss Welles, you can't think that way."

Wade looked up to see a ghostly figure of the Professor. A figure she had seen many times. She had nailed it down to either going crazy or a Kromagg trick. Whichever it was she didn't care as at least she had company as the one of the things that she feared more than anything was being alone.

"It's hard." She admitted. "Look where I have been living these past few months."

The ghostly Professor looked around. "Indeed, very inhospitable." He remarked. "But you are strong willed. Something I never gave you much credit for when I was alive."

A tear rolled down her eye. She still missed the man who was like a father to her, his death was the start of where it all went wrong.

"Mr Mallory is coming for you. He is closer than it appears." He stated attempting to give her hope. "You only have to hold out a bit longer."

Wade shook her head. "No he's with Maggie, he loves her why would he come looking for me?"

The Professor smiled. "I always told Mr Brown that you were both blind… He cares for you deeply much more than he ever did for Miss Beckett."

Wade hugged her diary and remained silent. She couldn't afford herself to believe that, no Quinn loved Maggie it was so clear.

"He is coming for you." He repeated.

"No he's not, he loves Maggie and I hate them both, now go away." She cried as she started to sob.

She looked up and the Professor was gone.

---

Colin sat beside his brother, he didn't know what the operation was that they had done to Quinn but knew it had to do with removing some sort of device. He didn't understand how it got there, or who put it there but he had his suspicions.

He sat starring at his brother. "You'll be alright and once you are well we can then try and find Rembrandt and Maggie." He muttered quietly.

Ever since his parents died, the ones that he was given to by his real parents, Quinn, Rembrandt and Maggie had become a family to him The only one he had ever really known. He was close to all of them and didn't want to face the fact that he was only given a short time with them.

Quinn began to stir slowly drawing Colin's attention. Quinn opened his eyes and raised his head only to have it fall back onto the pillow. "Argh. Did anyone get the number of that truck?" He murmured as he's head continued to spin.

"Good you're awake." Colin stated.

Quinn looked over a smiled. "Don't count me out too quickly. I think I have gone crazy." He replied recalling his dream. "I feel terrible." He added then started to look around fighting against his spinning head.

"What happened? But I think a better question is where are we?" Quinn asked taking in his surroundings.

Before Colin could answer, Quinn felt a little funny. "Whatever happened has left me feeling a little strange, I had the strangest dream."

"Well from what you have been through I don't doubt it." Said a woman at the door.

Both Mallory brothers looked at the young woman at the door. She looked to be in her early 20's, tall for her age, long dark hair and with a look Quinn knew very well. She looked like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders, something Quinn saw every time he looked in the mirror.

Quinn wasn't blind either, she was quite attractive. "And you are?" Quinn asked bluntly raising himself and leaning against the wall.

Kendra smiled. "Commander Kendra O'Malley, leader of the Resistance."

Colin stood up. "I'm Colin and this is my brother Quinn." He stated introducing himself and his sibling to the young woman.

Quinn looked over to see his brother was quite taken by the young woman and could only smile. He never had much time for women anymore, truth of the matter is ever since Wade was taken he felt like he lost part of his soul, the best part and made a pact that until he found her weather dead or alive he would put everything else aside and concentrate on the mission.

"God I'm sounding like Maggie." Quinn sighed quietly.

"Wait a second." He though. He hadn't thought about Wade in a long time, but ever since that dream on the previous world and his conversation with Maggie about a relationship, Wade was all he could think about. Something he had been trying to avoid for the past year. He shook his head to try and concentrate on the matter at hand thinking about Wade wasn't doing him any good at the moment.

Kendra looked from Colin down to Quinn. "So you're brothers?" She asked.

Quinn focusing back on the woman merely nodded trying to focus on the situation at hand as his head started to slowly stop spinning.

She looked back at Colin. "The Mallory brothers huh?" She asked. "I was expecting you two to be… well a little tougher looking."

"You have heard of us?" Colin inquired oblivious to his brother's discomfort.

Kendra chuckled. "Oh yes."

"Sorry to rein on your parade." Quinn interrupted quite dryly. "But I would like to know what the hell is going on."

"Of course." She said turning her attention away from Colin. "You must have many questions, I don't know if I can answer them all but I will do my best." She explained taking a seat at the end of Quinn's bunk.

Quinn looked at Colin then back at Kendra. "Miss O'Malley." He said taking note from the Professor that keeping it formal on the first meeting was less likely to cause any possible unforeseeable problems.

"Oh the guys around here call me Commander but just Kendra is fine." She interrupted.

Quinn nodded. "Kendra… What are we doing here and what did you do to me?"

"I was actually going to ask you that Quinn." She said. "We have no idea how you got here, only know from your brother here and from our readings of the local area that you arrived through a vortex simular to what the Kromaggs use… As for the pain you were experiencing our doctors believe that is may be a cause of your arrival though why your brother isn't experiencing it is anybodies guess."

She smiled at him putting him a little on edge. "The doctors assume me that the pain should be gone in a few hours."

"What about the operation?" Colin asked.

Quinn immediately shot his head over to Colin. "I… I was in an operation?" He stammered thinking of this dream and what the Professor said.

Colin nodded at his brother.

She took in a breath. "Ah yes that. Quinn, you were in an operation, don't worry everything is fine now." Kendra replied.

"Are you alright brother, you seemed to be quite disturbed." Colin noted.

Quinn nodded and looked over at Kendra. "What was this operation?" He asked. Was it a dream he experienced or as the Professor said something more real?

"You were implanted with a KTD and we had to remove it for security reasons." She explained.

"KTD?" Quinn asked confused.

Kendra smiled. "Yes, short for Kromagg tracking device, though it wasn't of the usual variety." She admitted.

Both brothers looked at each other. "How did that get in there brother?" Colin asked.

"I don't know." Quinn answered truthfully shrugging his shoulders. "I have been captured several times throughout the past couple of years, I suppose it is possible they could've planted one in me, they did have enough opportunities." Quinn replied then looked over to Kendra. "You said not the usual variety, care to elaborate on that?" He asked dryly. He wasn't going to take any chances with this woman as his years of sliding taught him to trust no one at first even if they appeared sincere.

Kendra was all too happy to explain. "The KTD's we have come across merely track a target within a several mile radius." She explained. "But the one you had didn't work like that, it wasn't designed to locate the whereabouts of you in miles or any other unit of measurement, more like it transmitted that you where here, on the planet."

Quinn raised an eyebrow. Perhaps it had something to do with tracking him through the dimensions. If that was true he had unintentionally showed the Kromagg countless new parallel worlds.

Kendra continued. "There is more, our doctors are still working on it but it appears that it was designed to block out certain parts of your of your brain, in particular the emotional centres."

Quinn pondered it for a minute. "The Professor said I would return to myself." He thought looking at Kendra.

"So it was blocking something?" He asked.

She nodded. "Yes, and that something was very strong. It was having a hard time doing so."

"Could it be?" He thought. Wade had been pooping up a lot in the past few hours, ever since that dream. He refocused on the conversation when he noticed both Kendra and Colin starring at him. "Putting that all aside for now, how do you know us?" He asked deciding to move on. He would find out more later. Right now he needed the summarized version.

Colin was surprised at how easily his brother simply pushed aside all that. He was rather worried himself and it wasn't even his brain the KTD had been in. During his time in getting to know his brother and with talking with Rembrandt, Colin learnt that his brother had gotten harder since he started sliding. He seemed more a soldier than a civilian, but something seemed a little different with him now, something he couldn't put his finger on. Whatever it was, that device might have been the source of it.

"Ah, if you're up for it, I will show you." Kendra responded rising from her chair.

Quinn nodded and Colin gave him a help up. "Will you be okay brother?" He asked.

Quinn smiled. "I've been through worse." He admitted and the two brothers followed Kendra out the room. Quinn could see they were in an old building, as it was obviously not designed for this many people. It reminded him of the resistance complex that the American underground had in the world where the Soviets controlled America on their first slide all those years ago.

As they walked he and Colin caught the eye of many in the complex. Looks of surprise, intrigue and hope were displayed on many faces. He even recognised a few faces, obviously doubles of people knew had met. Some of the faces he couldn't name faces two but some like Wing, Hurley and Diggs stood out.

"Here we are." Kendra stated opening a door and entering. "Quinn and Colin, I would like you to meet Michael, our scientist here."

Both bothers smiled and nodded as they entered the room.

"So these are the famous Mallory brothers?" Michael muttered with a grin.

Quinn looked over to Kendra. She noticed the look. "Oh yes." She noted looking over to Michael. "Pull up the files we got from the Magg's on these two."

Michael returned to his computer and brought the files up, he moved aside to allow Quinn to sit down and look at them.

Quinn scanned the files, the first one was of him and then moved on to Colin's one. They displayed a photo of each of them along with such information as age, height, foster homeworld coordinates with their real homeworld coordinates included alongside and even blood types along with an extensive overview of their personalities. Quinn was surprised that the Kromaggs had so much information on them. After a few moments he looked back at Kendra. "Well that explains how you know us."

She smiled. "What we don't understand is how the two of you are from the same homeworld as the Magg's, are there humans on other planets as well?" She inquired.

Quinn sighed. "We have quite a story to tell you." He looked over at Colin who gave him a nod them returned his look to Kendra and Michael. "The Kromaggs like us come from a parallel world." He explained and paused a moment to allow it to sink in before continuing. "I created a device that allows a traveller to cross the Einstein-Rosen-Pudalski Bridge, taking us to a parallel world where it's the same year, many people are the same but many other things like historic events and even personal history can be vastly different." He explained.

"You managed to cross the bridge?" Michael asked in amazement. Being the only scientist in the resistance he knew more than the others, the bridge he knew about vaguely.

Quinn nodded with a small smile.

"My brother and I were placed with out parents doubles on parallel Earth's when our homeworld was in a state of civil war, our parents were sliders too." Colin added.

"Doubles?" Kendra asked.

Colin nodded. "Doubles are duplicates of people that live on these other worlds." He explained.

"They look like us, but can have totally different personalities due to the choices and outcomes of their lives." Quinn explained. "But yes, we were separated by our parents for our own safety as the war with the Kromaggs wasn't looking good so they decided it best to place us under the care of their doubles on parallel worlds until the war was over."

"Wait a second, so you're saying that the Kromaggs come from here and not out there on some distant planet?" Michael asked.

Quinn nodded. "Pretty much, they are a differently evolved race of humans." He answered.

"Then if they are at war on your world what are they doing here?" Kendra asked.

Quinn turned to Colin. Colin knew it was his cue to tell the story. He smiled at his brother then turned to Kendra. "Our parents created a weapon that killed Kromaggs and they fled the homeworld using sliding. What our parents don't know is that the Kromaggs have taken to conquering other worlds."

"That's why we are sliding, to find the weapon to help free worlds at the hands of the Maggs, and to rescue a really close friend of mine who was captured and sent to a breeder camp." Quinn said with memories and thoughts of Wade still fresh in his mind. He still shivered when he thought of or said breeder camp.

Michael and Kendra could see the pain on Quinn's face when he spoke about his friend. Whoever this person was Kendra could see Quinn was quite attached to him/her.

"Breading camp?" Michael asked.

Colin took the lead, placing a hand on Quinn's shoulder to show his support for his brother over this difficult topic. "The weapon made it impossible for Kromagg women to produce offspring without dying, so they set up camps to…" He explained looking down at Quinn as he interrupted.

"To rape human women and create hybrids." Quinn finished with anger in his voice. He still couldn't forgive himself for Wade, he felt guilty he wasn't there to protect her.

Kendra shuddered. She couldn't even imagine how painful that could be, having your body invaded by those monsters just to produce babies for them to train up as soldiers. She looked over to Quinn. "I'm so sorry, she must've been very important to you." She said softly.

Quinn looked up. "Wade was, is my best friend. She was always there for me and the time she needed me the most I wasn't for her… I even love her… I never got the chance to tell her." He stammered. He looked over at Colin to see the look of surprise on his face. "Colin that was what the chip was doing… It was making me forget about Wade and was tracking me through the dimensions."

"Wade, where have I heard that name before?" Michael thought

"You really think so?" Colin asked in amazement. He hadn't heard a great deal about Wade. Quinn never talked about her to him, everything he knew about her came from Rembrandt or more so from Maggie as Rembrandt too found it a difficult topic to discuss.

"Yes… The Maggs knew I would go after her… They wanted me to lead them back to our homeworld so they put that device in my head to make me forget her and focus on getting back to Kromagg Prime." He responded. He looked down at the floor then back at Colin. "I'm sorry Colin, but I'm going after her, if it wasn't for the chip I would've done so in the first place" He said

Colin shyly smiled. "I understand, I'm with you brother. She needs our help. Our parents will still be there after we rescue her."

Quinn got up and hugged his brother. "Thanks Colin." He whispered thankful for his brother's support, if there had been anything he learnt about his brother was how unconditional his support and loyalty was. He looked around. "First thing first we need is to construct a timer or steal a Kromagg one."

"What about Rembrandt and Maggie." Colin asked, surprised Quinn had totally forgotten about them.

"I've been giving that a lot of thought Colin." He answered. "Remember that flash in the vortex?"

Colin nodded.

"I think something interfered with it. We were ripped out of the tunnel and landed here while Maggie and Rembrandt remained and must've completed the slide." He explained.

"Can't they just track us?" Colin asked. Over the past 9 months he had been taught a lot about sliding from his brother. While no expert he knew enough behind the device to be at least a little bit useful.

Quinn shook his head. "No, since it wasn't a full slide and we were ripped out of the wall so to speak, half way through a slide they can't track us and we can't track them." He explained.

"Wade?" Michael asked finally as something came to him.

Quinn looked over at him. "She's my friend the one I'm looking for." He answered.

It then clicked, Michael pushed passed them and sat down at the computer and started looking into the files.

"Michael what is going on?" Kendra asked, curious by his behaviour.

Michael didn't look up. "Kendra you told me to get all related files on these two, I was looking at them earlier and a few more profiles popped up… here… is that her?" Michael asked pointing to the screen.

Quinn bent down. On the screen was a lot of Kromagg text, some of which was translated into rough English. There on the screen was an image of Wade. "Yes that is her, or at least one of her doubles."

Michael did some more digging.

"Wait, stop there!" Quinn said and Michael did as he was told. Quinn read the screen.

"You can read that?" Michael asked starring at the Kromagg text. It was all just random red symbols to him. He had managed to create a very basic translation program but it was far from perfect and he hadn't had time to use it on all the files yet, only their titles and the Mallory profiles.

Quinn nodded not taking his eyes of the screen. "Encounter the Magg's and their computers as much as I have and you can pick a fair bit of it up." He answered.

"What does it say brother?" Colin asked.

Quinn looked up at him. "My god, she's here on this Earth, in a complex at LA."

"That's only 4 miles from here." Kendra stated.

Quinn smiled and looked back at the computer. "It says that she is a political prisoner and is in solitude, there." He continued. "We have to get her out."

Colin put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Brother are you aware it might not be her?" He asked

Quinn thought back to the dream.

_"In the next 24 hours you have a chance to save her, the one you love, the one you have missed the most… I can not say anymore." The Professor explained._

_"Great, damn riddles." Quinn barked._

_The Professor smiled. "It will all become clear when you wake." He answered._

Quinn looked over to his brother. "It is her. I know it and I can't explain how." He said knowing that if he told them they'll think he was crazy. "Just trust me."

"Ah Quinn." Michael interrupted. "Are these numbers here important?" He asked pointing at the screen.

Quinn took a quick look. He smiled. "Colin, here's my proof." He said pointing at the screen. "The coordinates to Earth Prime the Earth I was raised on. If you don't believe me we only need to cross check it with my Kromagg profile" He explained.

"If you say so brother." Colin replied and just hoped that Quinn was using a rational mind and not going on his hopes and emotions.

Quinn smiled. "I do… Look there is even a layout of where she is being held… It's my Wade." He said excitingly. He took some more time to examine the text and his smile faded. "My god." He proclaimed. "It also says they are keeping her there because of me… To use against me… It's my fault."

Colin again attempted to reassure his brother. "You couldn't have known. Let's just focus on getting her out."

Quinn nodded and looked over at Kendra, he knew he needed her help if he was to get Wade out. "If you help me in getting her out I will do whatever I can to help you fight the Kromaggs here on this world."

"That place is heavily armed." Michael protested looking at the layout of the complex. "You'll need to go to war to get in there."

Quinn looked over at him. "I don't care, I will go it alone if I have to, but I am going in there for her or die trying." He spat.

Colin smiled. "I'm with you, I've heard so much about her and if you love her then she must be well worth it."

Quinn started to protest but Colin stopped him. "I'm going you can always use me to watch your back, plus you will need me with if we have a chance to get her out as well as a new timer."

Kendra nodded thinking about Quinn's offer, ignoring Michael, true it was a task but done correctly it could work. Plus having a man who created a dimensional tunnel and could read Kromagg would come in very handy. "Hmmm… Quinn we could always use someone with your skills and experience, we will help but I can only commit so many to this operation."

Quinn just nodded and smiled. It didn't matter how many she gave him he would get her out. He couldn't believe it, after over a year he was finally going to rescue her. He was unsure of what her reaction was going to be but really hoped she would give him the opportunity to explain.

"So, any ideas on how you're going to pull this off?" Michael asked looking at the complex layout with Quinn

Quinn smiled and looked over at Kendra. "How many can you commit to the rescue?" He asked.

Kendra sat down in one of the empty chairs in the room. "Not a great deal, we are stretched pretty thin. I could muscle up about 50." She answered.

"Will that be enough?" Colin asked.

Kendra looked up at him. "It's all I can spare Colin. I am going out on a limb here as it is." She explained looking over to Quinn. "One woman isn't worth 50 as it is. The rest I need here to defend base camp."

"50 will do." Quinn responded. "Michael, see these three points?" He asked point at various points on the digital layout. Michael nodded. "If we split the attack group up into 4 and attack these three points."

"They will cause a distraction." Kendra finished now standing behind Quinn.

"Exactly." Quinn replied.

"But you said split into four." Michael asked.

Quinn smiled. "My team, a small team of roughly 4 or 5 will enter here." He said pointing

Michael turned to look at him. "Are you insane? That's the front entrance." He commented.

"I know. If you were the Kromagg commander of that base, would you expect us during an attack to walk through the front?" He asked.

Kendra agreed. "He's right. They will be too distracted by the attacks from the others to even notice us."

Quinn nodded. "That's the idea, and once we are in we have two objectives." He explained. "The first is to find and get Wade out."

"And the second?" Michael asked.

Quinn looked up at Colin. "To steal a Kromagg timer." He said then looked over to Michael. "And if possible destroy any sliding equipment they have in there."

"Excellent idea, it will slow them down for a while." Kendra added. She looked around at the group. "The four of us, plus one of my soldiers will make up the insurgence team." She explained.

Michael started to protest but Quinn interrupted. "We're going to need you to help crack their computers and help with bringing down the sliding equipment."

Kendra nodded and Michael weakly smiled not too happy about all this.

---

Wade continued to run as explosions shocked the complex. Her heart was pounding as this was it, finally freedom was in her gasp. She turned the corner and ran into someone almost falling over and feared it was a Kromagg. She looked up to see Quinn.

"You've come for me." She squealed and embraced him.

"Of course sweetie." He replied. "You'd think I would ever be happy without you."

She sobbed in his arms as explosions continued to go off. It was finally it, she was back with Quinn, the prospect of a double hadn't even occurred to her.

"Hey Quinn, lets move it." A female voice stated.

Wade looked up to see Maggie. The woman she had a deep hatred for. She watched as she moved over and kissed Quinn passionately on the lips, something Quinn returned.

"NO" She screamed closing her eyes and pushing Quinn away. She woke up to see a Kromagg at the entrance to her cell on the other side of the force field. He had an evil grin on his face, something common on all Kromaggs. If there was any creature that could be compared to the devil, the Kromagg race was it. It was clear now he was playing with her mind, her escape was just one of his sick jokes. One of many that he or one of kind had played on her since she was captured. It grew worse when it was discovered that she was of poor stock and an unworthy breeder.

"Still thinking about Mallory?" It was more a statement than a question. "Don't worry we made sure he wouldn't come looking for you, he's too busy with other more important matters." He gloated.

Wade frowned at the Magg. Didn't he know that Quinn was her best friend and even after everything that happened, even with Maggie he wouldn't abandoned her. At least she used to think that, now she wasn't so sure.

"Oh he already has." He said clearing reading her thoughts. "He's too busy looking for his brother and real parents to care about you."

That was it. "You got the wrong Quinn." She spat. "He never had a brother."

The Kromagg gave an evil laugh. He loved tormenting her. It was all he really had to do. Guarding a single prisoner on this backwater world was so unappealing and boring that he had to make he's own fun. This was really a job for one of those hybrids, but getting on the bad side of the Commander made sure he was going to be stuck here for a long time. Playing with her mind was the only thing he could get away with without getting into further trouble. "That's what he thought." He remarked and left.

Wade sighed and a tear rolled down her cheek. She knew Quinn better than anyone, he had no brother, his father was dead and no doubt his mother like her was a prisoner of the Kromaggs. It was obvious that the Quinn the Kromaggs wanted to know about wasn't her Quinn at all.

She had been interrogated and tortured for months about a Quinn she didn't even know.

---

Wade woke up with a startle. She didn't sleep a lot in her cell, always keeping one eye open so to speak. She didn't trust the Kromaggs and when she slept she was vulnerable to their mind probes. Nearly every time she went to sleep the guard took advantage of that, like he did a couple of hours ago. She was physically and mentally exhausted she really needed to sleep. She looked out the window to see it was early evening and the sun had just gone down.

"Wade." A voice yelled out.

Wade looked up to see a young man with a young woman both rather attractive at the door of her cell.

"You're Wade Welles aren't you?" The woman asked.

Wade nodded.

The woman smiled. "Great, we're getting you out of here, hang tight." She said.

Wade heart beamed. Was this true? Was someone finally rescuing her?

"Colin, watch the halls while I try and take down the force field." Kendra ordered.

Colin nodded as explosions in the distance could be heard.

Kendra spent a few minutes trying to disable the force field to no effect.

"Damn this." She cursed under her breath. "This thing has tighter security than Fort Knox." She said

"Fort what?" Colin asked.

Kendra laughed. "Never mind."

"Perhaps my brother can disable it from the control room." Colin suggest still with a firm grip on his rifle glancing back at Kendra.

Kendra looked up at Colin and smiled. "Excellent idea." She replied then looking back at Wade's worried face. "Don't worry, we have two techs that will be able to lower this thing."

Wade nodded. She glanced at the young man then back at the woman. They both seemed genuinely concerned for her and the man looked a lot like Quinn. "Wade you're just seeing things." She muttered quietly.

"Are you alright?" Colin asked.

Wade looked up to see he was talking to her. "Um… Yes you just look like someone I used to know that's all."

He smiled. "Well you see…"

"No time for that." Kendra hollered. "I need to concentrate." She said as her final attempt to break the barrier failed. "Alright, Quinn and Michael will have to deal with his remotely." She stated and the picked up a radio. "Guys, this is Kendra, we have found her cell but can't break down the force field." She spoke into the radio.

Wade ears peaked. Quinn? Was it her Quinn or a double? No it wasn't her Quinn he loved Maggie and had forgotten about her. It had to be someone else with the name Quinn, probably not even a double.

There was static for a few moments before a response. "You found her? That's great is she okay?"

"Mallory." Kendra almost yelled into the radio. "Worry about that later can you take it down remotely?"

"Right, give me a few seconds." Came the muffled reply then static.

"Mallory?" Wade thought. "Quinn Mallory? Had to be a double."

A few seconds later the force field flashed and then lowered.

"Hows that?" The radio reply asked.

"Quinn Mallory, I sure wish we had you at the beginning of this fight." Kendra said with hope in her voice.

"Kendra, get back here to the control room, we have a major problem." Another, slightly deeper voice with a southern accent said through the radio.

"On our way." Kendra replied. She looked over to the fragile Wade. "Can you walk?" She asked.

"I… I don't know." She answered.

Kendra looked over to Colin. "Carry her! I'll watch your backs." She ordered.

Wade grabbed her diary. She wasn't going to leave it as it was her one connection to her past.

Colin put the strap of his rifle over his shoulder and approached Wade. He slowly lifted her into his arms.

"Come on Mallory, we don't have all day." Kendra boomed.

Colin lifted her up and turned to Kendra. "I do not wish to hurt her. My brother would never forgive me if I did."

Wade looked at him. "You're a Mallory?" She asked quietly.

He smiled down at her. "Yes, and my brother, your Quinn has told me a lot about you." He said which was a lie. "I have been looking forward to meeting you." He added which he wasn't lying. Ever since Rembrandt and Maggie told him about Wade and her close friendship with his brother he had wanted to meet her.

"Come on Colin." Kendra insisted. "No time for idle chat, Wade and Quinn can get reacquainted later."

Colin nodded and started to move with Kendra on alert.

Wade remained silent. Her Quinn didn't have a brother, but she was getting out of here and she didn't want to say anything that could risk that.

---

"Alright, I've got the generator powered up." Quinn said sitting at his console.

Michael looked over at him. "What about the timer?" He asked.

Quinn briefly looked around at him then back to his console. "It's ready to go, but we will slide with their generator then immediately use the timer." He explained. "Magg's track through trackers not photon trails. Doing this will get them off our tails."

Michael smirked. "I have a lot to learn." He muttered.

Quinn chuckled. "And I will be happy to teach you." He replied. It was nice to have another scientist around. He hadn't had that since the Professor.

The door burst open and the solder who was guarding them can flying through dead. Two Kromaggs entered with rifles aimed. Quinn immediately ducked and grabbed his pistol and fired taking one down.

Before he could fire on the other Michael had been shot and lay dead. "Damn it." Quinn muttered as he dogged a laser blast. A blast of human weapon fire was heard and then the Kromagg fell dead to his feat. Standing behind him was Kendra.

She looked over to see Michael. "Michael." She sighed.

Quinn looked up to see Wade in Colin's arms. His heart started to beat faster it was her, his real Wade. Finally he had her again. He was a little taken back by her frown, but what she had been through he couldn't blame her.

"Quinn… Quinn." Kendra yelled getting his attention.

"Sorry Kendra… Michael's dead, I tried but…"

Kendra interrupted. "Forget it, you were outnumbered… So what was his problem that Michael said we have?" She asked.

Quinn sighed. "Resistance HQ has been hit hard, can't get through to them. Maggs are calling in reinforcements they will be here within minutes." He explained.

"Damn." Kendra yelled.

Quinn returned to his console and typed in the last commands. He grabbed the timer and shoved it into his pocked.

"Kendra." He yelled. "There nothing left here we have to slide."

"I can't leave my…" Kendra started to protest.

Quinn interrupted. "It's that or death." He activated the generator and a blood red wormhole appeared. He turned to look at Colin. "Brother, get Wade outta here, I'll get Kendra" He ordered, who was heading for the door.

Colin ran with Wade still in his arms and disappeared through the vortex.

"Kendra." He yelled grabbing her arm.

"Let me go." She hissed.

"NO." He replied. "There nothing left here, just like Wade's world… Sliding is your only chance for survival and perhaps getting back at the Maggs."

She looked at him unconvinced. "Remember my world and the weapon we told you about." Quinn asked.

She nodded.

"It's our only hope." He continued.

Kendra looked at the wormhole. He was right, she couldn't take on the whole Kromagg army here herself. "Let's go." She said

Quinn smiled grabbed her hand and together slid with the vortex closing right behind them.

---

Wade woke up. Sun was on her face, coming from a window. She looked around. She was in a hotel, the Dominion and in a bed a normal bed not a cot in a Kromagg cell. She sat up and looked around. Then she spotted him, Quinn, well the Quinn who rescued her.

Was this just another dream or a Kromagg trick? How many times had she thought she had escaped only to find herself back in that cell moments later? Too many was the answer, it was their way of breaking her will and dashing her hope for freedom and life itself. It was not uncommon for prisoners of the Kromagg Dynasty to take their own life, in a way it was a release something Wade herself had thought about more than once.

Quinn smiled down at her, nervously. He had been waiting for this moment for so long so why now it was here why couldn't he speak? He knew why, he was looking down at his best friend, the woman he loved that he thought he may never see again. He could feel his heart racing as he looked at her, after a year of searching he had found her and not only that gotten her out of there and back into his life.

She continued to stare at him but remained silent.

Quinn knew he had to take the first step. "Hi Wade." He spoke softly. "You're free now, no more Kromaggs… You're free."

Wade frowned as she took her eyes off him to look around. Then centred her vision back to him after she noticed no one else was in the room. "Um… thanks." She replied dryly.

"I've missed you Wade, oh god have I missed you." He responded as he felt his buried emotions finally coming to the surface, they were taking him over like a virus did on a computer. But this virus was an emotional feeling, love. Something he thought he would never have the chance to experience again. It was something only two women had ever stirred within him, Daelin his first girlfriend who broke his hear and Wade. While his feelings with Daelin felt more like a crush, his feelings with Wade were much stronger and something he had trouble controlling.

Wade remained sceptical. Quinn noticed the look, he after all knew her better than anyone. They had always been in sync, almost able to read each others thoughts and more often than not were able to finish each others sentences, he knew deep down if there was such a thing as Soulmates on this or any other world then he was starring at his. But that look of hers told him clearly she thought he wasn't the man she once knew.

"It's me Wade, it's Quinn. Your Quinn." He said

Wade shook her head slowly. "I'm sorry but you're not." She answered.

"It's me, the Quinn you started sliding with." He replied.

Wade wasn't convinced. Why was he pushing this on her. Was this Quinn trying to relive a fantasy? She long ago made the decision that if she couldn't have the real Quinn, her Quinn she wouldn't settle for one of his doubles. It would be too confusing and would never work. "My Quinn doesn't have a brother, plus he stayed behind with Maggie and I don't see her." She responded with anger in her voice not unnoticed by Quinn.

Quinn knew her feelings towards Maggie. He couldn't blame her really for it, as Maggie after all took the Professor's place on their team, their sliding family and cause nothing but turmoil. Quinn felt guilty by his reactions to Maggie, he was drawn to her, her strength was something he had never seen in a month before it was also something he hadn't seen in many men either for that matter. But now after everything he knew it was just a strong case of lust he initially felt for her. He pushed those he cared away for lust and that kiss on the cliff top on hybrid world was something he would never forgive himself for. He knew Wade still had feelings for him at that point but his hormones were controlling him and he didn't think. At the time he didn't regret kissing her, but kissing her in front of Wade he did. Now he regretted the whole thing, both the kiss and leaving his friends to stay with Maggie.

He started to move towards her but she pulled away. He reluctantly returned to his position at the end of her bed. He couldn't force himself on her, no matter how he felt. She had been through too much and what the Kromaggs put her through he couldn't blame her for her reaction. "Wade, a lot has happened since we last saw each other." He started too explained. "I found out my parents were sliders and left me and Colin on separate parallel worlds for our own safety."

Wade continued to remain silent. Who was he fooling, was that going to convince her he was her Quinn?

"I'm so sorry about everything since the Professor's death." Quinn continued. "Most of all not going with you through Rickman's wormhole back to Earth Prime." He softly admitted. "Not being there to protect you when the Maggs arrived and for taking this long to finally find you."

"It's him my child." A voice said that Wade could only hear and identified as the Professor's voice clearly.

Wade looked up at the ceiling then after a moment back to Quinn. Was she going, strike that gone crazy? Was this just another Kromagg trick?

"Why did you stay behind then?" She asked. If this was her Quinn and not a Magg trick or a double she needed to test him to find out for sure.

Quinn sighed. "I had to stay as Maggie couldn't breathe on our world, and she wouldn't of survived against all those hybrids." He explained. "She was a friend, I couldn't just abandon her."

"Well you sure abandon me and Rembrandt." She shot back.

He was about to respond but she got in first. "What happened on the world after rain world, the one with 1940's technology?"

Quinn smiled softly. He knew what she was doing, she was testing him. He couldn't blame her. He would answer as many questions as necessary till she finally realized it was him.

"I was stuck on the astral plane and only Gillian could see and hear me." He replied.

"What's the Q?" She asked.

"A virus, we encountered it on one of our early slides. My double was patient zero and you happened to catch it after kissing a man that rescued you. Oh and the Professor managed to create a cure." He answered thinking back.

"What's lottery world?" She asked.

"The world where I got shot and where they used a lottery as a form of population control. You happen to win it and we saved you and Ryan just in time. The next world Ryan stayed as you wouldn't stay with him." Quinn replied. He was quite happy that she didn't but now for her it might've been for the better.

She remained her focus on him as he answered her questions. He was getting them right, so it must be a Kromagg trick. "Okay then, when we first started sliding we had a fifth slider, who was he?" She asked the trick question.

Quinn smiled. "Unless you're a double, which I am certain you're not we never had a fifth slider. There only ever was four of us at the one time."

"What about Dino world? What happened to us there?" She asked, he passed her trick question how she was going to see how he passed this one. That world was where she admitted to the Professor she actually loved Quinn. It was also the world her worst fears had almost come true when that holographic guard told her about the human body and thought she had lost Quinn.

Quinn smiled at her. "Which one? The first one with the Professor or the second, when we were chasing Rickman to get home?"

"Where's Maggie?" She insisted again.

Quinn frowned. "I don't know. She and Rembrandt got separated in our last slide from us." He answered.

"Rembrandt?" She thought. "You rescued Rembrandt?" She asked.

Quinn nodded. "It took me three months to get back to Earth Prime, we discovered it overrun with Kromaggs and with the help of some resistance members rescued Remmy but I was captured where I met my mother who told me I was adopted and my parents were sliders."

"Why should I believe you?" She asked dryly. He knew things, but this brother issue she wouldn't ignore.

Quinn sighted. "To be honest Wade, I can't blame you if you hate me." He honestly admitted. "I've done so many wrong things, the worst not being there for you when you needed me after the Professor died and not being there when the Kromaggs arrived."

"You're right I do hate you for that." Wade responded sharply that was like a knife in Quinn heart.

He looked away from her and wiped a tear away then back at Wade. "I've spent this entire year trying to find you, having a Kromagg chip in my head controlling me didn't help." He answered. "I just hope you can forgive me someday as I can't live with it if my best friend hates me."

Wade just looked at him. She could see the tears in his eyes. She couldn't figure him out, he was different from the Quinn she knew, at least when she last saw him. This was more like the Quinn of old. Could he have changed back? No just a trick she thought. "Kromagg chip?" She asked.

He nodded. "They implanted me with it, altered my brain closing off some of its emotional centres. It was attempting to make me forget you. I guess it must have been implanted during our first encounter with them as every other time I was captured with them I was awake." He answered.

"It's true." Kendra said entering the room.

Wade looked at her. "And you are?" She asked.

Kendra smiled. "Kendra O'Malley, I helped these boys break you out. Don't you remember? First time slider too." She laughed.

Wade looked at Quinn with sadness in her eyes. "So what Quinn? Is she your latest chick of the week, got tired of Maggie?"

"Maggie and I were only friends." He responded. "We never went past that kiss, which I regret ever happening." Quinn defended hurt by her words.

Kendra looked over to Quinn. "You're telling me you have been in here with her for the past 3 days and you haven't told her you love her yet." She asked shaking her head. "Jezz Mallory, what's taking you?" She asked.

"Well she only just woke up." Quinn responded.

Wade shook her head. "See, my Quinn didn't love me, he loved Maggie." She knew now it had to be a trick. This was just another of their sick games.

Quinn looked back at her. "I never loved Maggie, I love you." He admitted. "I didn't even admit it to myself until I lost you."

Kendra smiled. "There you go, straight out of the horse's mouth itself."

Quinn looked at Kendra. "She thinks I am a double."

"Damn right." Wade spat. "That or a Kromagg trick." She started to get agitated. "You were never there for me, always chasing Maggie. You just stopped seeing me, how do you think that made me feel? The time I need you the most and you were off chasing the new girl like some hormone hungry teenager who had just discovered sex." She spat. "You even stayed to be with her, kissed her right in front of me without any regard to my feelings… I hate you Quinn Mallory." She screamed.

He turned back to Wade, tears in his eyes after hearing her outburst. "If you want me to leave I will." He answered sharply. "I only want you to be happy. I've told you how I feel, I've tired to convince you." He looked away out and out the window before looking back at her. "I know you have been through a lot, more than I could even possibly understand but please try to think back to before it went all wrong." He pleaded.

"I'll leave you two alone." Kendra quietly said withdrawing from the room and closing the door.

Wade watched her go before looking back at Quinn.

"Wade, I can't live with myself if you hate me." He admitted. "I'm not going to tell you want to think, I don't have the right. I just want you to know that I love you and have for a long time. I may have forgotten that for a while but I just want you to know."

He sighed as he got up. "At least I still have the memory of our kiss on asteroid and Azure world, it's all I got." He sadly said fighting the tears and then left.

Wade just watched him go and started to shift through everything that had happened. Asteroid world? She didn't even dare think of that while captured by the Kromaggs, only her, Quinn, Rembrandt and the Professor knew about that.

---

Quinn looked around the room. Both Kendra and Colin were gone, giving him and Wade time to work things out something he could see now wasn't going to happen. He sighed. Wade hated him, he couldn't blame her. But he couldn't live with that either. Everything he fought for these last few years was for her and the hope that they could finally be together. It was all for nothing, he got her out yes, but she hated him so deeply that what was the point on going on?

He closed the envelope, this he must do as nothing else mattered anymore. Fighting the Kromaggs, finding his real parents it all meant nothing without Wade. He got up and entered Wade's room. She just starred at him with those hateful eyes. He looked at her while placing the envelope down on the table in the corner with the timer and his wallet. Those eyes that he used to be so drawn too now were the one thing he had a hard time to look at, echoed in them was all of his mistakes and failures and in particular his inability to protect her or be there for her when she needed him the most.

"Wade, can you do something for me?" He asked.

"What?" She spat.

He sighed. "Can you make sure that the others read what is in here when they return?"

She nodded. Not to help him, only to get rid of him. She still had a lot of thinking to do, she still wasn't sure if this was reality or not. Usually by now the Kromaggs would've gotten bored and ended the trick. They end playing on her hopes and then showing her it was all a dream, but this was turning out completely different.

"I'm so sorry." He said. "I love you that won't change but I can't go on. Tell Colin I am sorry too." He added with tears in his eyes and left.

---

"Do you think it will be okay?" Colin asked Kendra as they entered the hotel half an hour after Quinn left unknown to them.

Kendra shrugged. She looked over at the bedroom door which was shut. "I don't hear anything, let's take a look." She said opening the door and heading in with Colin at her heels.

They saw Wade sitting up in bed hugging a note. They also saw Quinn's wallet laying open next to her, with credit cards with names like Rembrandt Brown, Maximillian Arturo and Wade Welles spread out. Also there was a picture of a younger Wade and Quinn smiling holding each other firmly. There was also a photo of a much older woman. She looked like to be in her mid 30's and the photo appeared to have been folded in half for quite sometime.

"Where's Quinn?" Asked Kendra as she looked around the room. It was obvious to her that Wade had spent the last few minutes going through Quinn's wallet.

Wade looked over to them. Colin and Kendra could now see clearly the tears and that they were still flowing. Wade didn't hear them come in and was startled to see them both standing there. "Is he really my Quinn? The one from my world?" She asked.

Colin nodded. "He is, the one raised on your world."

"You've got to stop him, we have to stop him." She sobbed passing the note to Colin.

He started to read it as Kendra read over his shoulder.

_Dear Colin, Wade and Kendra_

_I want you to know I am finished. I've done what I set out to do, to free Wade. I love her, more than any person I have ever met. For a long time I denied those feelings, I got her lost, took her away from her family and didn't feel worthy of her feelings. When I lost her that all changed, I realized what a mistake I made. It was then I realized what an idiot I had been, I had pushed away and then lost my Soulmate._

_If you are reading this message then Wade has done what I have asked. I can't keep going like this, she hates me it runs through her blood and I can see it in her beautiful brown eyes that I have always found so hard to resist. By the time you finish this letter I will be dead or almost there._

_Colin if you find our parents please tell them about me, tell them I wasn't prefect and like everyone else I had my flaws. Also please tell them I do not blame them for separating us as if they hadn't I would've never met Wade and learnt what true love was. Also if you find Rembrandt, please convey how sorry I am to him for everything. Colin, you have been the best brother I could ever have. Your support has helped me to keep going this last year, the hardest year of my life. Meeting you and getting to know you was the one good thing that came out of the last year, apart from rescuing Wade that is. Take care of Wade for me, she is going to need a friend, something I failed at. One of my many failures._

_Kendra, I ask that you look out for them. They will need you. I am sorry I didn't get a chance to get to know you better and I feel selfish in asking you this but I would be eternally grateful to you._

_Wade, I am so sorry for everything. I want you to know I don't blame you for how you feel. I feel the same about myself, have for a long time. I will always love you and I will give your love to the Professor when I see him. It's not all bad, I get to see him again and I got you out of that prison and that is all that matters to me._

_Love Quinn (Qball)_

"Oh no brother! Why?" Colin muttered.

Kendra swallowed hard. "Where would've he have gone?" She asked.

Wade heard a voice, the Professor's voice. "My dear, the bridge. You all must hurry. Stop him and tell him to look in the journal. GO."

Wade looked at the others. "The bridge, I have to go to him." She insisted.

"The Golden Gate Bridge, of course." Kendra said. "You right to walk?" She asked grabbing the timer just in case.

"For this I will be." Wade responded. Wade thought through everything that had happened, how could see of been so blind? Now she might loose the one link to her past because she couldn't get past her anger. "God I hope I'm not too late." Wade thought as she and the others raced out the door.

---

Quinn stood looking out over the bay. It was peaceful, this world was so much like the one he grew up on. It was strange and almost relaxing, as right now in this very spot he was the most content he had been since that day in September all those years ago when he, Wade and the Professor jumped into that vortex dragging Rembrandt along accidentally.

"Don't do it Mr Mallory."

Quinn looked over to see a ghostly figure. It startled him that he almost fell.

"Professor?" He asked after he regained his balance.

"Yes my boy." He answered.

"Not again." He sighed. "You're dead."

"You are of course correct." Arturo answered.

Quinn looked back out over the bay. "Why are you here then? I thought you said only when one is close to death that you can come."

"Again correct, these are one of those times." He answered then smiled. "You have some rather bad habits my boy."

Quinn remained still looking over the bay.

"I see you found her." The Professor noted.

"So it wasn't a dream?" He asked.

The Professor laughed. "Indeed, I did visit you and gave you that warning about what was to come."

Quinn looked over to him. "Well you could've added the fact that she hates me passionately. That she blames me for it all."

"You wouldn't of listened if I did." He responded.

"I guess not." Quinn sighed. "At least now she is free and can live her life without me screwing it all up." He looked over to the Professor. "You know even with her hating me I am the most at peace here. No more responsibilities no more having to worry no more having to make all the decisions… Right now I have one decision, to jump or not. And I can tell you the jump option is looking rather enticing at the moment."

"Mr Mallory…"

"You see as far as I can see it." Quinn said interrupting the Professor with his rambling. "I will be much more happier up there. I will see my father, you and everyone else I have lost."

"He's not your father Quinn."

Quinn looked back out over the bay. "He raised me, maybe he didn't conceive me but he was, is my father." He them looked back at the Professor and smiled. "Like you were, those years you where like a father to be. One thing I have learnt with sliding is that family isn't necessarily about genetics or blood… It's about the heart." Quinn moved closer to the edge.

"Don't do it Mr Mallory, what about Mr Brown, Miss Welles and your brother?" He asked.

Quinn sighed. "I've lost Rembrandt, I screwed up his life pretty good. He's better off without me… Colin will do fine, he has Kendra and Wade. The three of them are better off without me… And Wade, well she can't even stand to speak to me… What's the point in living when the one you love more than anything hates you?"

The Professor coughed. "Well… um she doesn't hate you."

Quinn frowned at the Professor. "Weren't you paining attention or was your cosmic radar broken when I was taking to her in that hotel room?" He yelled. "She hates me no two ways about it… Can't blame her really considering I hate myself too."

---

"Keep an eye out." Kendra ordered as they started across the bridge in their taxi.

They all kept their eyes pealed looking at both sides of the bridge. It was a busy day so traffic was blocking much of their view.

"Please don't have him jump already." Wade prayed silently. She couldn't believe it, was it her fault that was going to drive him to an early grave? He did what she had wished for so many years, admitted his feelings for her openly. He placed all his cards and heart on the table and she pushed him away in anger pretty much stabbing his heart with a knife in the process.

She couldn't blame him for what happened to her, he wasn't even there. She still loved him and the hate she felt for him was leaving her. That last year of hatred, of rage it was leaving her just like that. Just like if someone flushed the toilet, it was just leaving her. That one note had convinced her more than spoken words that he was her Quinn and she was the only thing that mattered to him. She could if she chose to have a life with him, only if she could find him in time.

"It's not his fault." She murmured under her breath.

"It's not his fault, nor your's."

Wade looked up to see the ghostly figure of the Professor sitting in between her and Kendra.

"See him yet?" Kendra asked looking straight through the Professor at her.

Wade shook her head and looked back out the window. "I'm crazy, no doubt about it." She thought ignoring the Professor.

"You're not my dear, I always criticised you about your beliefs in the supernatural but the truth of the matter is you were right." He answered.

Wade still starring out the window was about to speak but was cut off. "Don't speak, just listen, they can't see me only you and Mr Mallory can." He stated. "He has not jumped yet I am holding him back but not for much longer you need to get to him, look Miss Welles look ahead on your right."

Wade focused her eyes. "There." She screamed pointing. She could see the ghostly figure of the Professor next to Quinn.

"Pull over." Kendra ordered to the driver.

"In middle of bridge?" He asked in this thick Russian accent.

"Pavel, she said pull over." Wade screamed. "You do and we let you keep the change from this fifty."

Hearing that Pavel jumped on the brakes and the taxi came to a complete stop. He turned around and took the money. "You need taxi again, you call yes?" He asked.

"Whatever." Wade muttered jumping out the taxi and running towards Quinn with the others close at her heels through the busy traffic.

Cars swerved everywhere, tyres screeching and horns blasting with more than a few verbal insults added by some of the drivers as the three headed through the busy traffic to reach Quinn before it was too late.

Quinn heard the screeching of tyres but ignored it. "Seems like idiots can't drive on this world either?" He muttered.

The Professor laughed knowing full well what was the cause of the commotion. "Ah yes, all kinds to make up all worlds wouldn't you say?"

Quinn forced a smile. "I suppose." It was an unsaid fact really, one couldn't deny it.

The others watched the scene as they approached, still digging cars and trucks.

"Who is he talking to?" Kendra asked seeing Quinn deep in conversation with… himself?

"Well Professor, it has been fun, but now it is my time to meet you again." Quinn said. He felt a sense of relief wash over him as he prepared himself. It was the last decision he would ever have to make.

"STOP QUINN!" Wade shrieked

"DON'T DO IT." Colin yelled.

He didn't hear it and started stepping closer to the edge.

Wade's fears became stronger as she saw him approach closer to the edge. "QUINN DON'T JUMP!" She barked.

Quinn looked down at the bay's surface.

"Damn it, he can't hear us." Wade said as she tried to quicken her run, the traffic was making it increasingly hard to get to him. Wade felt her worst fears coming to life. She could feel her heart bursting out of her chest, being stuck in a Kromagg prison made her unfit and weak. But she was determined to stop Quinn no matter how bad she felt physically.

Quinn looked up to the ghostly figure next to him. "Well I guess this is it." He stated.

"Mr Mallory, at least wait a few minutes, I still have plenty to say." He pleaded.

Quinn sighed. "Can't this wait till we are up there together, in the hereafter?"

"Quinn, did you ever look in the back of her diary?" He asked.

"BROTHER DON'T JUMP." Colin yelled and the Professor vanished.

"Yeah go on leave me, like you did before." Quinn growled at the now gone Professor.

Quinn heard footsteps stop behind him.

"Brother don't?" Colin pleaded.

Quinn remained his gaze at the bay, he recognized that voice. "I'm sorry brother, I can't go on. Not with her hating me." He answered. "I can't blame her really, considering I hate myself much more than she could ever hate me. I screwed up so many lives, hers most of all. Ironic isn't it, her and my roles are now reversed."

Quinn moved closer to the ledge.

"Colin if you ever find Rembrandt, please tell him how sorry I am for everything." Quinn asked in a soft voice. "At least this way I am getting what I deserved, I was the one how should've taken that bullet. Rickman fired it at me. If I died and the Professor lived it would've been for the better." Quinn started to ramble. "I have done so much harm, I'm Hitler re-born. The death and destruction caused because of me. At least now I can fix that in some small way by making sure the one responsible will pay."

"Please Quinn don't do it, I'm so sorry. You're not a bad person, it wasn't your fault." Wade said.

Quinn recognised the voice, it was Wade's. But what was she doing here?

"What are you doing here, I thought you hated me, you said so yourself." Quinn spat still eyes fixed on the bay.

Tears rolled down her eyes. "I was angry and confused." She admitted. "The Kromaggs had played with my mind so often I wasn't sure what was real and what wasn't."

"What changed your mind then?" He asked. "This is some trick to stop me jumping isn't it? Make me pay more for what I have done… Well I have been putting everyone else first for 5 years. Now I am going to be selfish and think only of me." He stepped closer to the edge.

"Don't brother." Colin pleaded.

"Don't Quinn it's not a trick…That letter and some time to think make me realise." She responded. "This is real, I know it. I can feel it. Please Quinn come to me." She pleaded.

"Come on Quinn." Kendra spoke up. "You love her, she loves you. You've got it all." She stated. "But if you jump what was all these past years for?"

Quinn bowed his head and looked at the water surface. "If I jump then I can be free. No more making decisions that effect so many, no more having the weight of countless worlds on my shoulders and no more having this constant guilt I have lived with for the past five years." He admitted as his eyes started to water. "I am so tired." He sighed. "I'm not even 26 yet and I have been carrying the burden and no matter how much I try how much I push myself everything just keeps getting worse… I am just so content up here, about to let it all go."

"Quinn… If you jump I'm going right after you." Wade threatened. "You're all I have left, all I need but if you jump I have nothing and what's the point in living if you've got nothing."

Quinn thought back to everything that had happened. His father dying, being raised by his mother, his time at Doppler's and his friendship with Wade at home. Then there was sliding, all this adventures his closeness with all 5 of them, Wade, Rembrandt, the Professor, Maggie and Colin. True they weren't all with him anymore, but the one he missed the most was standing behind him waiting for him to throw his arms around her.

"I don't know what to do." He whispered admitting finally. "I'm just so tired of it all."

Wade could see how vulnerable he was at this moment. She had never seen him like this, ever.

"Go on my boy." The Professor's voice said. "Go to her."

Wade smiled. "You heard him Quinn. The Professor is right."

Both Colin and Kendra looked at her with puzzled faces but she ignored them.

"I love you Quinn, I always have." She said in a soft voice full of emotion. "Come to me… Please."

Quinn's heart skipped a beat, a lump appeared in his throat and his heart sung. It was something that hadn't happened in a long time.

"I don't know." Quinn admitted. "I am so set to jump… I've got all this guilt all this pain inside me. It's like a cancer and the cure is to jump."

Wade's tears started to flow more. "Quinn, I mean it, I do love you… If you jump I jump… If that is the only way I can be with you so be it then."

Quinn stood there looking out at the clear bay. The bay was calling him. "Jump…Jump…Jump." The then there was Wade and the others saying "Don't… Don't… Don't."

Quinn looked down at the water. "I'm so confuse." He admitted.

Wade could see the pain in his words. The next few seconds would either end his life, both of their lives or start a fresh.

"Quinn please, if you have ever trusted me. If you do really love me come to me." She pleaded as she saw Quinn attempting to make up his mind.

"Do it my boy… Listen to her." The Professor's voice said echoing through his ears.

Wade weakly smiled. "You used to listen to the Professor Quinn… Do it again, at least one last time."

Quinn shook his head. "He's not real, hies dead remember. I killed him like so many others."

"You didn't kill him, Rickman did. He took the bullet for you as he loved you. I love you too and I am not going on without you." She replied.

He could always come back and jump if things didn't work out. Perhaps taking this chance, a chance that she was sincere and not just saying it to stop a death, would make all these past years have some meaning? He slowly moved back from the ledge and ever so slowly turned around to face her.

She beamed with fears flowing down her face. He was fighting tears of his own as he slowly moved towards her. She approached him and wrapped her arms around him both falling to their knees. He started to sob as he put his arms around her. "I love you Quinn." She spoke softly into his ear as they hugged.

"I love you." Came his muffled reply through this sobs.

Wade held him and smiled. Together they were finally together and together they could move on and hell together.

Colin and Kendra looked on with smiles as a crowd started to gather from the bridge and looked on.

---

Wade smiled as she lay in Quinn's arms. He was fast asleep. The last few days had been physical and mentally exhausting for him. First loosing Rembrandt, the operation then planning and undertaking her rescue and then spending 3 days caring for her while she slept only to cop her reaction then trying to kill himself. She had been so glad she and the others managed to stop him in time, if it wasn't for the Professor's spirit it might never had happened.

She had always thought about life after death but never any clear proof, until today. He had visited her so many times while she was a prisoner of the Kromaggs and always thought of it as one of their tricks or her own mind going insane. It was now clear it wasn't either.

She snuggled up closer to him as she enjoyed the closeness. This was something she had never felt before, a peaceful bliss that her heart sang to. After a year of her worst nightmares this was heaven on Earth. She had what she wanted, Quinn's love. All those years secretly loving him and finally six years later they were finally together. She laughed softly as not to wake Quinn. "Longest courtship in history." She thought.

Quinn started to stir. She looked up at him as his eyes opened.

He was surprised to still she her there and more surprised that he didn't have a nightmare, it would've been the first in years that he slept soundly through the night.

"Morning sleepy head." She teased

He smiled down at her. Normally he would tease her back about sleeping for three days but with what she had been through he felt it wasn't appropriate. "Hi." He replied as he slowly stretched and took in her appearance. Then he noticed something wasn't quite right.

"What's wrong?" She asked noticing the concerned look on his face.

"This isn't right." He said

Wade's heart dropped, as if freefalling. It couldn't be? He wasn't going to deny his feeling again was he?

He took off the necklace from around his head and reached over putting it on her. It took a few moments for her to register before realizing what it was.

"My necklace, you had it all this time?" She asked astounded.

He nodded with a smile. "I got it from the resistance when I got back home and haven't let it go since."

She started to tear up looking into his eyes. How could she have been so wrong? It was so clear now even just looking into his eyes she could see how much he cared for her.

"I never told anyone about it." He admitted. "It was all I had left of you apart from my memories."

She pulled him into a hug and promised herself she would never let him go again. She would fight for him, no matter what the odds. After a few moments she reluctantly pulled away. She looked at him in the eyes. "I'm sorry Quinn but I went through your wallet earlier." She admitted.

Quinn smiled. "It's okay. It ceased being my wallet years ago." Years ago they made the decision that one of them should be responsible for all there money. Cash and credit cards along with everything else from the others wallets made a home in Quinn's.

She smiled. "I didn't know you still had that photo of us." She remarked.

He smiled. "We need to get that one updated." He replied.

She smiled, she liked that idea and then thought back to the Professor's cards she saw in Quinn's wallet. "Quinn did the Professor come to you too? Did you see and hear him?" She asked. She knew it sounded crazy and he was really the only person she could talk to about it.

He sadly smiled. "He did a couple of times these last few days."

She laughed. "Thank god, I thought I was going crazy."

He smiled at her. "You weren't alone, when he came to me during my operation and at the bridge… I thought I lost it."

She looked puzzled at him. "Do you know why he was so interested in my diary Quinn? He told me to remind you about it."

It hit him, he totally forgotten. "Wade can I look at it, I don't want to read it. I would never violate your privacy like that. There is just something I need to do." He asked.

"Okay, okay calm down." She said getting out of the bed and bringing her diary to him.

He took it and examined the front cover, when it came up empty he looked at the back cover. He reached over and grabbed his Swiss army knife. He looked over to see the startled look on Wade's face. "Don't worry honey, I won't destroy it."

She smiled that caught his attention, something he found odd considering he had a knife to her most prized procession.

"What?" He asked.

She softly giggled. "I love how you called me honey." She replied.

He smiled back. "Well that's good. It's something you need to get used to." He responded giving her a peak on the cheek then returned his attention to the diary cutting the back cover open. He tore the inside of the back cover back and pulled out a piece of paper.

"What is it?" She asked.

He opened it. "It's from the Professor."

_Dear Mr Mallory_

_As you know I am dying, I know you haven't given up on finding a cure but I have accepted my fate. I hope I didn't violate Miss Welles' privacy by placing this in her diary but it was the most secure place I could think of, that and I don't have the courage to tell you this in person. I know this is the easy and cowards way out but you need to know I am not your Professor, not the one you started with. He is still most likely on my world, the world with the Azure Gate Bridge._

_Mr Mallory I am sorry that I took him away from you but I acted in desperation and I hope you can forgive me. I have grown to admire you all and I couldn't stand the thought of the three of you despising me. You need to find him my boy, to get back what I wrongly took from you._

_I wish I could help, but if you have found this letter than I am most likely already dead. Good luck and god speed I know you can find him._

_Professor Maximillian Arturo. _

---

"Quinn you couldn't of known." Wade said holding his arm as she re-read the letter they found hidden in the back cover of her diary. She could see how disturbed Quinn was, and could see he was starting to place all the blame on his shoulders again.

Quinn smiled at her. "I know, it's just if this is true, was it the wrong Professor that helped me to find you and to help you to save me on the bridge?" He asked more to himself than to her.

"I don't know but he is still out there, our Professor is still alive and well." She responded with excitement in her voice as Colin and Kendra walked in.

"I hope we are not interrupting brother." Colin said with a sly smile.

Quinn looked up at his brother. "No, of course not." He answered.

"So why the lump faces?" Kendra asked sitting down on the opposite bed.

Quinn sighed. "I just found another mistake I made. You see we started off sliding with my physics Professor back five years ago." Quinn explained.

"The one that was shot?" Colin asked. He heard about the Professor quite a bit from both Quinn and Rembrandt, and Rembrandt even told him the fate of the man they all thought ever highly of.

Quinn nodded. "Or so we thought, we found this in the back of Wade's diary." He replied handing the note to Colin.

Colin looked up after reading it and passed it to Kendra.

"You see 18 months into our journey to find Earth Prime we thought we were home, but we weren't it was an almost carbon copy of home expect the bridge was blue and the Professor's double never slid." Quinn explained.

"We thought we had the right one, as both wanted to slide." Wade continued the story. "It appears we were wrong."

Quinn smiled down at her. It felt good having her back. But he knew what he had to do. He couldn't risk her life or the others life's needlessly. He stood up and walked over to the timer and looked at it. He turned to see all eyes on him. "Colin can I trust that you will look out for Wade while I am gone?" He asked.

"Gone?" Wade yelled frowning at him.

Quinn nodded. "I need to go find the Professor and hopefully with his help get to Kromagg Prime and get that weapon to drive them off both your worlds." He said looking at Wade then to Kendra. "Plus Rembrandt is still out there and I need to find him too."

She couldn't believe it. He was going to make a beeline after they both just admitted they loved each other. Well it wasn't going to happen, not if she had any say in the matter. "Well I'm coming to, I care for them both too you know and I am not going to be separated from you again." Wade hissed getting up and walking over to him.

"Wade…" Quinn started to protest.

"No Quinn." She interrupted. "You and I are not going to be separated again."

Colin walked over to the pair. "Brother she is right, and I'm coming too."

Before Quinn could protest Kendra jumped up. "I'm also up for the ride."

The three looked at her.

"Do you know what you're getting yourself into to?" Wade asked.

Kendra smiled. "I have an idea, plus if you run into the Magg's you will need me… I've been fighting them for four years and I know how they think. Plus I got nothing here, at least I know you guys a little and four heads are better than three."

Quinn laughed. "The saying is two heads better than one."

"So sue me, I took an artist licence." She smirked.

Quinn sighed. "There is no talking the three of you out of this is it?"

"Nope." Wade inserted giving Quinn a hug.

"Brother I have said it before and I will again, I'm with you. After all we are family." Colin responded.

"Yes we are." Wade said holding Quinn tighter that caused him to smile.

Kendra laughed. "Hey I never knew when to butt out, plus I am sick of being stuck in the one place all the time. I always wanted to do some travelling plus giving them Maggs some pay back is why I came along in the first place."

Quinn smiled. "So much like Maggie." He thought.

"So how long till we slide brother?" Colin asked closing the topic of who was going. He knew they were all going or none were, the way it was supposed to be.

"Well you see that's the interesting part, the timer hasn't been advanced yet so we can leave when we want." He answered. "I say we all give ourselves a few days to process everything." He looked down at Wade smiling who return the smile then looked back up to the others. "And sometime to relax and put our feat up."

"Great idea." Kendra replied. "Colin, want to go for a walk, have a look around while these two love birds have some private time?" She asked.

Colin was happy to see his brother finally happy, they had a lot of work to do and even after loosing Rembrandt and Maggie he thought it was only going to be him and Quinn. But he was wrong and glad for it as now he had meet two new friends and they had an adventure that awaited them. "I think that would be best." He replied smiling.

Quinn smiled as Kendra and Colin left the hotel room.

Wade looked up at Quinn placing her arms around his neck. "So, what shall we do?" She teased

"I have a couple of ideas." He smirked picking her up and carrying her to the bed.

"Well you're the genius." She remarked as she kissed Quinn, finally her Quinn together at last. It didn't matter if they never found the others, it would be good if they do but if they didn't as long as she had Quinn it would all be okay.

**THE END OF THE OLD CHAPTER. AND THE BEGINNING OF A NEW ONE.**

After word: Okay, well there you have it. I may decide to turn this into a short serial at a later date but right now it will be remaining as a single story. Then again I do change my mind like the weather when it comes to stories so you never know.

I went out on a limb with the whole afterlife idea about the Professor, but it was critical to the story and to solve some issues between the two (Quinn and Wade). You can already guess that my idea is to reunite the originals and this possible serial will continued into a season 6 where they finally find Rembrandt after his slide in "The Seer".

Well if you enjoyed the story please drop some feedback/reviews. Till next time.


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